Margaret – Lines in Black

Audrey(FILLED)

Mr Handy(FILLED)

Arthur’s Holotape(FILLED)

Audrey is a ghoul in search of a family inheritance locked in a safe. The combination requires numbers given to each one of her siblings, who’ve been killing each other for it. Only two remain.

She gets a note to meet Margaret, her sister. Margaret is also immortal, having long since transferred her mind into a synth.

The entire family hates each other, but they need each other to open the safe. Some try to get the numbers by force, others by working together. As such, there’s a lack of trust between the sisters. So Margaret has a doppelganger meet Audrey first, but Audrey recognizes the real Margaret is posing as the bartender. Here are the bartender lines:

What can I get you?
Need a drink?
What’s your poison?

Here’s what I got.
Take a look.
Sure thing.

Suit yourself.
Fine.
Be here if you change your mind.
All right then.

Heard any good rumors?
Sorry, can’t say I have.

So Audrey and the player come to this bar, and meet with a ghoul who looks like her. Audrey realizes it’s the bartender who’s her sister, and this is where the scene picks up.

Scene

I’m sorry dear, but this ruse is over. You’re much too friendly to pass for Margaret.

(looks at bartender) You, on the other hand, with the disgruntled look…as if the world were too small for you and you had to slouch to fit inside it…that I recognize.

You’re as perceptive as ever, Audrey. And still a huge bitch.

Takes one to know one. Is this a new body? I wasn’t aware synthetic humans came in plus sizes.

Why do you think I chose it? It helps sell the illusion. Not that I needed it. Arthur would never deign to make eye contact with the help.

So you’ve been working for him.

Naturally. I let him collect the combination, then waited for my opportunity to take it. After all, our brother would never agree to working together. He’d call it surrendering to father’s idealistic garbage.

He also wouldn’t trust either of us not to kill him.

That too. In fact, I believe his favorite saying was, “that isn’t water under the bridge.”

Yes, I imagine it was something much thicker. And he was right, as it turns out. So why not do the same to me?

Because I’ve always liked you Audrey. I couldn’t stand to be around you, but that’s not the same thing.
And best of all, I know working together would piss our brother off to no end.

All right. But if we’re going to work together, my friend here is coming along. He’s quite capable.

(Female PC) She’s quite capable.

Still don’t trust me, do you? All right fine, your friend can come.
The two of you can meet me at the old summer estate. It’s time to find out once and for all what legacy father left us.

Scene 1

So what have you been up to sister? Still shooting raiders for kicks?

Yes, but not intentionally. Nowadays they just force my hand. And you?

Oh, the same old. Forever building the better mousetrap, as you liked to call it.

And have you caught many mice with this contraption of yours?

I’ve caught enough.

Scene 2

How did Barnaby die anyway? Arthur assumed you killed him.

He was dead before I even got the chance.

(Sad, remembering the moment)
Antoinette, on the other hand, is another story.
The truth is she gave me no choice.

I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it. The girl killed herself. We all know she belonged in Parsons. Father just didn’t have the heart to commit her.

Hellos

Watch yourself around Audrey. She’s not as smart as she sounds.

I’m not against you coming along. But whatever’s in that safe, it isn’t for you.

arrive

Here we are. The old summer home. It’s just as tacky as I remember it.

Who cares. The terminal for the code is on the wall there. My number is 47.

All right, I’ll enter the full code now. What is it you think we’ll find anyway?

I don’t know. Gold, jewels, baseball cards. It could be anything. The old man was secretive. 

We must’ve had different fathers. The one I remember would go out of his way to tell you about his exploits.

Only when he was drunk.

That should do it. Shall we?

You first. This body is slow and cumbersome.

go inside

Congratulations on entering the safe room. Your father would’ve been very pleased you managed to make it this far.
Of course, there’s no guarantee the five of you worked together, and as such, further proof is needed.

Well, this is a fine joke.

As you’ll note, there are five rooms in this house, each with a self-contained test designed specifically for the five of you. Pass them all, and you will unlock the main safe.

Except there’s only two of us here.

Don’t bother. It’s a recording. It’s a miracle this piece of scrap even functions after all this time.

Now go forth, sirs and madames, and reap the rewards that can only come from working together! 

So the entire house is a safe. I assume cracking our puzzles will be easy. The rest will take some ingenuity. We’ll have to act like our siblings. Or even worse, think like them.

I’ll leave that to you and your friend. You were always mocking everyone’s mannerisms, perhaps that might pay off here.

Well, I assume the kitchen will be Barnaby’s. He was a fine chef. God only knows why he chose to have his servants cook for him instead.

Arthur’s test will likely be the stage room. He always enjoyed a good play.

Antoinette’s I assume will be in her bedroom. Something violent, I presume.

Mine likely involves some sort of robotics or science experiment, so I’ll head over to the lab. We can meet up when we’re done. 

Hellos
You’ve got your job, and I’ve got mine. We can meet up when it’s over.

Audrey and player solve puzzles, find margaret in room with disabled robot assaultrons

Well, I hope these ladies didn’t cause you too much trouble.

They’re not ladies. They’re machines.

And I’m sure disabling them was as simple as pressing three hundred buttons.

At least that much. Not that you’d understand anyway. Regardless, it looks like all that’s left is your room. I can’t wait to see what horrors await inside.

Don’t worry Margaret, I doubt it’s anything I haven’t shown you already. Not that you were paying attention. Let’s go.

go inside Audrey’s room, single holotape on table, has a message from their father

***

What’s this? A room with a holotape? I just had to disable three assaultrons before they ripped me to shreds, and this is all that’s waiting for you?

Congratulations Audrey! You’ve passed your portion of the test. The door to the safe is open.

I suppose that’s that then. Should we listen to the holotape?

Let’s just go. Anything made for you I have no interest in exposing myself to.

get to final door

So, would you like to do the honors?

Gladly.

open safe

You’ve got to be kidding me. All this work for a single vial?

Let’s not jump to conclusions, sister. Father was nothing if not a predictable man.

This vial is a special serum developed by a friend of your fathers. Contained inside are the secrets of immortality itself.

Immortality? Ha! Well, this is a fine joke.

You don’t say. I suspected the prize was worthless, but it’s even worse than that. It’s ironic.

I am sorry to interrupt your joyous celebration, but I must inform you that I have now fulfilled my duties as guardian of your father’s estate. Good luck to all of you.

robot shuts down.

Well, I suppose it’s not a total loss. I’ll take that vial, thank you very much.

Really, Margaret? It’s a serum that grants you immortality. It might as well be a state of the art television for all the good it’ll do.

It may not be worth anything to us, but it’s something to somebody. Which makes it a valuable commodity all the same. And I don’t plan on sharing.

bodyguards walk in

Ah, I had a feeling we were followed. Still, if I wanted to kill you Margaret, I assure you, my friend over here could.

You’re all talk, you know that? It’s funny, Arthur said you were street smart. That you were the one person who couldn’t be swayed by sentiment. And in the end, you just gave me your half of the combination! 

You’ll find I’ve given you much, much more. That is, if you ever bother to look.

Hmph.

Goodbye sister. Don’t spend it all in one century.

Post Quest Hellos

You chose the wrong side, dearie. Audrey’s always been the loser of the family.

This vial is exactly what I need to fund my research.